Collector Archives - Revolution Watch

The Last Emperor’s Patek Philippe: History in the Making

Revolution — Mon, 29 May 2023 01:48:25 +0000

Step into history and witness the remarkable journey of Puyi’s wristwatch, an artifact that carries the weight of a bygone era. This iconic timepiece, belonging to the legendary emperor, will soon go under the hammer at Phillips auctioneers, and its story is truly captivating. Georgy Permyakov, Puyi’s Russian translator, was entrusted with preserving the memories of the last emperor. In 2001, renowned journalist Russell Working had the privilege of interviewing Permyakov, who proudly displayed the watch and other artifacts he had received from Aisingyoro Puyi himself. Working even captured a captivating photo of these treasures in Permyakov’s house.

Phillips sought additional authentication for this extraordinary piece. They reached out to the Imperial Museum of the Manchurian regime, the sole institution wholly dedicated to Puyi. Through their collaboration, they managed to connect with the last living scholar, who personally interviewed members of Puyi’s entourage and family during their time in Soviet camps. In 2009, a group of scholars from the museum visited Permyakov’s house and testified to witnessing these precious artifacts in the exact same condition, further solidifying their provenance and historical significance. A fascinating detail about the watch’s “two-tone” dial adds to its allure. According to research, a servant of Puyi scraped away the paint from the dial at the emperor’s request, hoping to reveal platinum beneath its surface. However, only brass was discovered. Upon this discovery, Puyi decided to halt the process, resulting in this curious dial condition we see today.

Memoirs from Puyi’s nephew, Yulan, provide written evidence of the watch’s fascinating journey. Yulan’s book recounts the precise moment when Puyi gifted the watch to Permyakov in the 1950s. Now, this extraordinary timepiece, with its rich history and remarkable provenance, is set to capture the hearts of collectors and history enthusiasts alike.

The post The Last Emperor’s Patek Philippe: History in the Making appeared first on Revolution Watch.

A Conversation with Cartier: The Rise & Success of Cartier Timepieces and the Man Behind It

Revolution — Fri, 26 May 2023 05:38:24 +0000

Cartier’s new releases at Watches and Wonders 2023 demonstrated yet again why it truly is the watchmaker of elegance. The Maison’s recent rise to take the number two spot in terms of global watch sales can be attributed to CEO Cyrille Vigneron’s deft touch in clarifying and distilling the vision for its entire collection. Cartier has managed to achieve what many brands could not: continually appeal to a broad audience without diluting its rich heritage or losing its air of exclusivity. In a roundtable discussion, Wei speaks with Cyrille and three other preeminent collectors of Cartier, Auro Montanari, Eric Ku, and Shary Rahman, on the timeless appeal of its watches and the enduring pursuit of longevity.

The post A Conversation with Cartier: The Rise & Success of Cartier Timepieces and the Man Behind It appeared first on Revolution Watch.

Christie’s The Ultimate Collection May 2023

Revolution — Fri, 19 May 2023 09:00:31 +0000

Christie’s The Ultimate Collection May 2023

Christie’s Hong Kong presents the Ultimate Collection, an incredible single-owner collection of watches in a special evening sale on the 26^th May.

Auctions

By Revolution

May 19, 2023

This May, Christie’s Hong Kong presents an incredible single-owner collection of watches in a special evening sale on the 26th May. The collection encompasses all the major blue-chip watch brands with one thing in common: they are all in incredible condition. The collection has a very strong contemporary theme, but also includes a number of important vintage watches from both Patek Philippe and Rolex. It might sound like a cliché, but there really is something for everyone in this sale and, for that reason, it is already garnering a lot of attention from collectors from all walks of horological hoarding.

Collecting is a deeply personal pursuit. One man’s junk is another man’s treasure, and so, whilst I’m not suggesting any wristwatch can be labeled ‘junk’, the theme of any given collection can be happened upon by accident or meticulously planned out. There are, of course, influencing factors such as budget and taste.

I have a friend who collects unsigned Tank watches that cost between USD200 and USD1,000, and I have another buddy who collects grand-complication Pateks. Both are equally in love with their hobby and show comparable levels of passion. At first glance, it might be hard to distinguish any through-thread for the Ultimate Collection, but spend five minutes looking at the catalog (and I suggest you do) and you will spot it pretty quickly. Condition. This anonymous collector has Catholic taste when it comes to brands and eras, but quality and condition are the constant. New old-stock, unpolished, sealed and double-sealed — all present and in abundance!

When it comes to independent rockstar brand F.P. Journe, there is a strong showing. Three of Journe’s most important creations are the Chronomètre à Résonance, the Centigraphe Souverain and the Tourbillon Souverain Vertical. All three are represented in the Ultimate Collection. However, only very special, ultra-exclusive boutique and limited editions are offered — and they are all in outstanding condition. It’s a similar story with Lange. Considered the thinking man’s high-end watch, the sale features an incredible five examples of Lange & Söhne’s Lange 1. If you’re a Royal Oak fan, the sale will leave you spellbound with some highly desirable Audemars Piguet gems, including an ultra-rare steel and platinum skeletonized Royal Oak perpetual calendar, a tantalum and platinum Royal Oak perpetual calendar, and a ‘Jumbo’ reference 16202ST 50th Anniversary watch. And yes, rest assured that they’re all in stunning condition.

Lot 2544: A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 Ref. 101.027

Lot 2544: A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 Ref. 101.027

The Lange 1 reference 101.027 was made for only five short years between 1997 and 2002 and was the brand’s first Lange 1 in white gold. The present lot features the line’s signature offset double date window and 39mm case size, combined with the ever-popular blue-dial option. It’s the aforementioned date display that is the standout feature on these watches, inspired by one of the first digital-display clocks from the Semper Opera House in Dresden. The unconventional dial layout is very Bauhaus in its execution, with offset date, small seconds and hour/minute indicator all seemingly flowing together seamlessly. Lot 2544 comes complete with a blank A. Lange & Söhne International Guarantee, proof of origin, presentation box and outer packaging.

Lot 2607: Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar Chronograph Ref. 3970ER-028

Lot 2607: Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar Chronograph Ref. 3970ER-028

Patek Philippe fans will not be disappointed by the collection. For the Nautilus lover, there is pretty much everything you could dream of, including a staggering selection of unworn examples, including a double-sealed pink gold reference 5990, a mint-condition pink gold reference 5712, and a super-cool rare ‘telephone-dial’ steel 3800 with slate gray soleil-finish dial with white painted Arabic numeral hours. The headline lot is not a Nautilus, but a pink gold 3970 made exclusively for the Grand Exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery in London in 2015.

Across 21 rooms of the Gallery, Patek Philippe showcased all aspect of high-end watchmaking to the general public. No fewer than 42,500 visitors attended over the 12-day event and a number of special watches were created to celebrate. Reference 3970 was introduced in 1986 and was the successor to the hugely important ref. 2499 perpetual calendar. The main difference was that the Valjoux-based movement that had powered the ref. 2499 for five decades was replaced by a Lemania ébauche. In 2004, the ref. 3970 was retired to make way for the ref. 5970. Remarkably, 11 years after it was discontinued, five pink gold ref. 3970s were made using new old-stock movements and cases, and fitted with an incredible black dial with Breguet numeral at 12. Lot 2607 remains double sealed and has been untouched by human hands since leaving the factory in 2015. Without a doubt, it is one of the rarest and most desirable of the modern Patek Philippe output.

Lots 2506, 2507 & 2508 Rolex Daytona Chronograph Ref.16520 A-Series

Lot 2506: Rolex Daytona Chronograph Ref.16520 A-Series

There is Rolex collecting and then there’s Daytona collecting. Rolex’s sports chronograph is unparalleled when it comes to variation, desirability and investment potential. The Ultimate Collection has 11 examples, all of which are cool in their own way, including a vintage Big Red ref. 6263, Paul Newman ref. 6264, and platinum and gold in-house models of the hottest variety!

Lots 2506 to 2508 are a trio of Daytonas from Rolex’s first series of automatic chronos that were first introduced in 1988. As with all things Daytona, it’s all about the minutiae and these watches are the three most desirable of the modified Zenith-movement Daytonas that spanned over a decade from 1988 to 2000. Lot 2507 is the first, chronologically, and is known as the ‘Floating’, due to the fact that the fifth and bottom line of text in the upper half of the dial, the word ‘COSMOGRAPH’, is detached from the other lines and is seemingly floating away. Additionally, the bezel is calibrated only up to 200 units, with the 200 sitting at three o’clock on the bezel like the vintage watches. This combination of dial and bezel only existed in the first year of production of the ref. 16520 and is the most sought after.

In 1989, the second year of the 16520, there existed a dial with only four lines of text, known as the ‘four-liner’. There was, in tandem with this dial type (roughly – nothing is exact with the Crown!), a bezel that was calibrated to 400 units, but had a ‘225’ measure on it. This is arguably rarer than the 200 bezels and is very desirable with a four-line dial. Fast forward to 1999 and at the end of the Zenith Daytona’s run, there was a version with solid-endlinks, the last series production-dial variation, the Mk7, and luminova on the dial and hands. This was a transitional version before the in-house-movement watches came into play in 2000. As a trio, this is about as good as black-dial Zeniths get and, importantly, the condition is top-notch!

The Ultimate Collection live auction takes place at 18:00 HKT at Christie’s Hong Kong. View the full catalog here.

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The Gelfman IN-16 Nixie Watch: A Retrofuturistic Timepiece

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FROM THE SHOP

Sold Out

Angelus

ANGELUS x REVOLUTION CHRONODATE "ANGELS' SHARE"

$23,800.00

TECH SPECS

Movement	Self-winding caliber A-500; 60 hours power reserve
Functions	Hours, minutes, small seconds, chronograph and date
Case	42.5mm; titanium; water resistant to 30m
Dial	Salmon (6N gold plated) with gené or frosted area; Super-LumiNova filled Arabic numerals
Strap	Ballistic gray rubber; titanium folding clasp

The post Christie’s The Ultimate Collection May 2023 appeared first on Revolution Watch.

Blurred Lines: Brand Retail in the Soaring ’20s

Ross Povey — Mon, 24 Apr 2023 02:25:36 +0000

Blurred Lines: Brand Retail in the Soaring ’20s

With watch waiting lists getting longer, watch brands and collectors alike have been paying close attention to the pre-owned market. Yet while auction prices of vintage watches have shown stability in the main, consumer confidence in the esoteric nature of vintage remains a little shaky, thus presenting brands with the perfect opportunity to support customers with their in-house expertise.

Collector

By Ross Povey

Apr 24, 2023

Have you noticed how everybody now talks about watches? What was once, at best, a niche pastime has now become one of the biggest growth sectors on the planet. Of course, watches have been sold for centuries and people have loved them and bought them as a luxury accoutrement, often to celebrate a special occasion or milestone. What I’m specifically talking about, though, is the forensic, feverish and fiscal way in which people now obsess over their tickers. Whether you proudly own a JPM- customized Louis Vuitton case full of collectible pieces or own one special watch that you waited for a few years before getting the call for (wait… you didn’t have purchase history?), you will no doubt have weighed up the different options for initially acquiring your watch(es), keep an eye on its market value and obsess over what’s next. It’s the first point, though, that has arguably changed the most. Never has there been such a dizzying choice for consumers when it comes to buying watches.

We seemingly keep reading and talking about how demand has dramatically increased the value or, more correctly, “price” of watches. Another impact that the surge in demand has had is on the available ways in which one can buy watches. Years ago, if you wanted to buy a Rolex Daytona, you either bought one from an authorized Rolex retailer or you bought a secondhand one, vintage or pre-owned, either at auction or from a dealer. The first two are pretty much unchanged, but the latter has had a transformation that rivals any consumer service in history.

The pre-owned market has exploded with a dizzying array of online and physical outlets that offer watches of every shape and size. For a while, certainly before the price corrections that we saw in 2022, it seemed that every kid with a watch and an Instagram account was a dealer. The brands soon began to notice that watches they were selling at retail were being flipped to gray market dealers for significant profits and the service they were receiving was not in line with the brands’ understandably high expectations. And so, some decided to take back some of the control… or at least try to!

The Rolex Oyster Perpetual GMT-Master II made for lefties

No watches over 35 years old will be included in the Rolex CPO offer, so you might see an “Eye of the Tiger” Daytona...
...but you won’t see a vintage 6240 Daytona in the AD’s window

ROLEX STAMP OF APPROVAL

One brand that seems to dominate the new, pre-owned and vintage sectors is Rolex. Why? Well, it has always had pretty good residual value and has been keenly collected. Long before people were jonesing over whether to have a steel Cosmograph Daytona or GMT-Master II “Batman,” collectors were shelling out astronomical figures for 32mm Bubblebacks from the 1940s. That market, having softened in the past two decades, is now showing signs of a piccolo revival, but there’s always a story about how Rolex watches have done very well in any given period.

Take the military-issued Submariner, known as the MilSub. In 1999, you could buy a fully original one, all parts the same as when it was issued — including 60-minute bezel, sword hands and caseback engravings — for USD 2,000 at auction. Now, a full-spec 5517 (note the unique reference) is worth close to half a million bucks! And if you want to buy a new Submariner, you will have to navigate the labyrinth of your authorized dealer’s mythical waiting list. It is precisely this phenomenon that explains why the secondary market has become such big news and those that peddle it are serious players in the market and the wider industry.

With the demand for luxury watches, across the entire patch, at an all-time high, brands are simply unable, or unwilling, to supply enough watches to meet the demand. Or even half or a quarter of the demand. What has this done? It’s created an entire economy of secondary market watch dealers who can supply you that steel Daytona, Royal Oak or Nautilus immediately or pretty quickly. But you’re going to have to pay a premium. So far so good.

Everybody is happy. The brands are selling as many watches as they physically can manufacture. The secondary dealer makes a living supplying the watches people want to those that are willing to buy them, and the end consumer gets that watch of their dreams without having to wait for a decade on a waiting list. In fact, there is a strong argument that some of the powerful secondary watch dealers are as important as the brands themselves. WatchBox, Watchfinder and a plethora of other pre-owned or gray market dealers have plugged this gap, offering watch buyers the opportunity to buy watches on any given day, plugging the huge gap left by official retailers that simply can’t get the stock. With city bonuses, spare cash due to a COVID- induced lack of traveling or dining out and the crypto boom, people have been prepared to pay the premium.

Neo-vintage and modern will have their place in the Rolex CPO system. The Zenith Daytona was introduced in 1988 and so can be included.
Will we see any Rainbows such as the ref. 116595? That’s the question!

It is no secret that Rolex has been making moves to recapture some control over the pre-owned market in the past few years. I spoke to one prominent US-based watch dealer in 2021 about the fact that the brand was removing “Rolex Certified Repairer” status from some watchmakers, and the brand has been pushing for retailers to have an in-house watchmaker to handle repairs. However, it was a shock announcement at the end of 2022 when Rolex announced it was rolling out a new pre-owned program.

The new system is still in its infancy at the time of writing with Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) pieces available only through Bucherer boutiques in Switzerland, Austria, Germany, France, Denmark and the United Kingdom. The plan is to roll the offer out globally. So, what exactly does the offer look like? The watches will come with a new two-year warranty, with a card in a wallet that is much like the guarantee you would get with a new watch. The only stipulation is that the watch has to be more than three years old.

It’s not all plain sailing, though, and the industry has reacted with very mixed emotions. One issue is original papers. Collectors love what dealers refer to as a full set. This means different things to different people, but the bare minimum is the original box, guarantee papers and then a sliding scale of completeness of booklets, hangtags, paperwork, wallet and other accessories. With Certified Pre-Owned, the watches will only come with the aforementioned two-year warranty card and not the original paperwork, if it still exists. This is a shame and will impact on the value for many people.

And whilst we are discussing value, let’s ride that elephant in the room. Prices seen so far have been astronomical. One UK-based dealer who sells pre-owned Rolex watches is surprised and delighted in equal measure at the published prices. He discloses, “When this new program was first announced, I was a little worried that people would, over time, be drawn away from dealers such as myself. Pretty quickly, though, it became clear that it was not going to have much impact, especially on my core client base, which are predominantly well-informed punters. If you want a Rolex Certified Pre-Owned GMT-Master Date, one of the original ceramic bezel models, you’ll have to pay almost 17,000 pounds. I offer these, with original boxes and papers, for closer to 11,000 pounds.” Is the premium worth it? Time will tell, but it’s important to be clear that Rolex does not have any influence on pricing and that it’s set by the retailer.

Current watches, such as this 126710 “Pepsi” GMT-Master II, will be available in the Certified Pre-Owned offer, as long as they are over three years old

The Rolex CPO program excludes vintage pieces, by definition any watch over 35 years old, from the program, so the offer is focused on the neo-vintage and modern sector of the market. With the demand for Rolex watches still at an all-time high, the CPO gives value and opportunity to both the consumer and retailer. Spend more than five minutes in the administrative offices of a Rolex Authorized Dealer and you will be amazed at the frequency that the phone rings with requests for watches. The CPO agenda allows the retailer the opportunity to widen its core offer to customers — “No, sir, we don’t have any new Explorers available at the moment, but we have a delightful example from 2018 in our Certified Pre-Owned selection.” This is good for consumers, as some of their frustration can be allayed with a more comprehensive offer, and they can buy a watch with relative peace of mind. No value can be put on this!

MB&F GOES CPO

It’s fair to say that Rolex is actually quite late getting in on the act, but as we know with the Coronet, it’s all about evolution, not revolution. Many other brands have also been offering pre-owned watches either directly to consumers via online or through their network of authorized dealers. A company with an ethos vastly different to the restrained and conservative nature of Rolex is MB&F.

Founded by Maximilian Büsser in 2005, the brand is a collective, Maximilian Büsser & Friends, where radical independent watchmakers collaborate to undertake horological alchemy the likes of which had never been seen before. With independent watchmaking being one of the biggest growth sectors in the industry in recent years, Büsser has seen demand for his machines grow exponentially and especially in the pre-owned sector.

He says, “There has been a tectonic shift in perception.Up till a few years ago, the pre-owned market was often perceived as the enemy by big brands who felt that every pre-owned watch sold was stealing a new piece sale. In those days, pre-owned watches were selling at a substantial discount towards new pieces, and contradicted the brands who loved selling the story of watches being investments.

Legacy Machine Split Escapement Titanium in green dial
M.A.D. 1 Red

Clearly, all that has changed recently. A certain number of brands have no more new product to sell, or are on multiple-year waiting lists, and their pre-owned pieces are now selling with a premium. Suddenly, the secondary market is the primary market’s best friend!”

When asked about his brand’s Certified Pre-Owned program, Büsser says, “For us, it was clearly one more way of helping our clients. On one side, there were many clients trying to find impossible-to-find pieces which were no more in production. And on the other, clients who wanted to sell their pieces for whatever reason. We decided from the outset that we would only retail CPO pieces where none were available at our retailers, so as not to compete with the new piece inventory in the market.”

Max Büsser is clear, though, that this part of the business is not profit generating but intended as a service to MB&F customers: “We pretty much decided on the prices which seemed reasonable. When we started, our CPO were, of course, selling with a discount to retail prices, but we were always higher than anything on the secondary platforms. Our pieces are all factory refurbished, serviced and with a two- year factory warranty — they are like new.”

This pattern of more officially offered pre-owned watches being a service to their customers, as opposed to a way of making money, almost certainly repeats itself for many of the brands that offer it. It’s a way for brands to ensure that customers are buying their products without the stress that is often associated with buying a secondhand watch.

Büsser elaborates, “Navigating the world of pre-owned is seriously challenging. Even today 80 percent of the pre-owned pieces I personally buy for my own collection have major issues: they do not work properly and some are ‘frankenwatches’ with non-original components, and of course, virtually no seller offers a real warranty. Buying a CPO from a brand should normally alleviate all those issues and there is a real value to that. In our case, CPO is a labor of love — it’s just there to help out. Doing it so that we are all proud takes hundreds of hours for zero to negative financial returns. But we believe it is part of what a caring brand should do.”

AUDEMAR PIGUET’S NEW CPO PROGRAM

Another brand that is planning to launch a Certified Pre-Owned program is hyper-hot Audemars Piguet. At the time of writing, it is still not clear how the new program will work, but CEO François-Henry Bennahmias announced the move at a luxury recruitment conference in January 2023. Promising that the CPO would be in full swing by the end of 2023, Bennahmias has every reason to be confident that it will be a runaway success. It is also likely to be one of his last initiatives before departing the brand, as planned, at the end of 2023.

Audemars Piguet have made a clear indication that they will be officially entering into the pre-owned market later in 2023. This could open up opportunities for customers to procure the popular Royal Oak and Royal Oak Offshore models

Audemars Piguet is slightly ahead of the curve when compared to Rolex, as it already has an authorized pre-owned system in place at Material Good in New York, where clients can buy pre-owned APs that are sold under the umbrella of the brand. Key to this relationship is the fact that Material Good also operates a number of U.S. Audemars Piguet boutiques. It would make sense then that its head of watches, Yoni Ben-Yehuda, and his team will take a leading role in Audemars Piguet’s new CPO.

One thing that dealers always tell me is that clients prefer to buy pre-owned APs with a manufacture service history. This is partly due to the incredibly difficult nature of cosmetically refinishing a Royal Oak and also, I assume, due to the desire for rock solid peace of mind. With Royal Oaks being some of the most impossible watches to obtain at retail, it makes sense that some customers will fully appreciate the benefit of being able to buy pre-owned pieces from authorized retailers and get their Royal Oak “Jumbos” and Offshores with the brand’s official “stamp.”

Is Certified Pre-Owned the future of watch buying for collectors? Certainly not, as secondary dealers will always offer a better price point for collectors and consumers. However, brands entering into the pre-owned market is a strong move and will undoubtedly give them a footprint in a market that they’ve been watching with their noses pressed up against the glass for a long time. Whether the motivation is one of control and command or a more philanthropic-esque gesture to help loyal clients, I believe that we will see more and more brands entering the fray.

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The post Blurred Lines: Brand Retail in the Soaring ’20s appeared first on Revolution Watch.

The Art of Watch Collecting: Beyond the Usual Suspects

Ross Povey — Tue, 18 Apr 2023 03:24:33 +0000

The Art of Watch Collecting: Beyond the Usual Suspects

Beyond the usual “hype watches,” vintage classics and independent brands, what are the world’s most seasoned collectors looking for? Revolution spoke to some of them to find out.

Feature

By Ross Povey

Apr 18, 2023

The one lesson we have learnt over the past two years is that watch collectors have a tendency to hop on board the hype train. To be clear, this isn’t meant as a criticism, but more of an observation on how collectors seem to be drawn to watches that are hot and the must-haves within any given season. Think Royal Oak, Nautilus and Daytona, and you will have a pretty comprehensive overview of some of the watches that have arguably overcooked the pre-owned watch market. Again, let me state my absolute belief that these watches are both important and beautiful. In fact, the post-1988 Rolex Oyster Perpetual Daytona is a watch to which I have devoted countless hours of research and enthusiasm to understanding, and I know many passionate collectors of these watches that could not care less whether they appear on the latest “cop or drop” list. However, things can become a lot of fun when collectors alight from the aforementioned train and look beyond the herd.

Whilst perennial favorites such as the Daytona will always have a place in the hearts of fans

What is clear is that the sands are shifting and collectors are looking to research, fall in love with and chase new horological quarries. This is my opinion from talking to friends, collectors and dealers but the data also backs this up. The 2022 autumn auction season demonstrated that the once-hot pieces are showing signs of slowing down. Considerably.

Remember the days when a steel Rolex 116500 was USD 50,000. They’re now closer to USD 25,000, which is a 50 percent fall from grace, although it’s still double its retail price. So what are people spending the big bucks on now? Well, for sure vintage is still a strong contender and collectors seem more than willing to shell out when a piece is both rare and in incredible condition. As Monaco Legend Group auction house’s chairman Davide Parmegiani states: “This is now a market for connoisseurs, collectors and those with a passion for rare and high quality watches. What we have demonstrated is that when rarity and quality collide, the market speaks and, in fact, speaks very loudly.”

Modern watches are also popular though, make no mistake. One of the newest areas of collecting is the sector of independent watchmaking, where everything from space-age technology and classical horology is welcome and often collide to produce otherworldly creations that get seasoned collectors hot under the collar. There were a number of stellar results for independent watches, including a 1999 F.P. Journe Souscription Tourbillon that was one of six known with pink gold dials that sold for an impressive USD 1.24 million! There were also strong showings from De Bethune, which now hammer at significantly over retail, and Kari Voutilainen with a unique piece in platinum from 2017 with vibrant guilloche enamel dial that sold for a significant USD 189,000.

New directions such as a Voutilainen are always welcome

There exists, however, beyond the modern hype watches (I know, I don’t really like this term either), vintage classics and new indies, a world of new discoveries. Brands you haven’t heard of in the watch space, collaborations that will take you by surprise, and models from the stalwarts that you may have only seen in passing. We are going to take a look at some new and emerging trends and talk to some of the industry’s leading lights. Even then, we are only skimming the surface, as there is a seemingly unlimited number of interesting watches out there that are just waiting to be discovered, and hopefully we can inspire a new approach with this piece. Let’s go!

TIME FOR SOMETHING DIFFERENT

I remember quite clearly the first time I wore my Vivienne Westwood denim parachute shirt to a gig in London. It was the late 1990s and the iconic British designer was experimenting with a new label called Anglomania. The pieces in the collection were only available at her Worlds End shop on King’s Road and they were made in very small numbers. I was immediately taken by a then-modern reinterpretation of the original parachute shirts that Westwood had made in the 1970s and acquired one, which I still own today. This was long before the brand became widely known and was franchised across different lines. My friends were bemused by the garment and whilst they were kind about it, thought it was an odd choice of attire. The seed was sown for me to want to be a little off-piste. That trait continued into my love of watches.

It’s hard to imagine now, but in the early 2000s, Tudor was largely forgotten and overlooked. There was a phrase that you never hear any more about them being a “poor man’s Rolex” and aside from the original 1970 “Homeplate” Chronographs, there was very little interest in the brand from the collecting community. I vividly remember one evening being on the Vintage Rolex Forum and noticing blue dial Submariners and unusual, colorful chronographs, and being smitten by the younger sibling of the Coronet. This love for Tudor led to Tudor Collector and, in many ways, me enjoying the career I do now. Again, much like the Anglomania parachute shirt, when I would attend the Rolex Passion Meetings or UK-based collector gatherings, people would eye me suspiciously and with a soupçon of mirth at these tatty old watches (MilSubs actually) that looked a bit like Rolex timepieces. A similar set of circumstances occurred again a decade later when I became obsessed with the Daytona Beach… but this article isn’t just about me!

1970 Tudor Oysterdate Homeplate

One passionate Tudor collector and early adopter of the Wilsdorf brand is Paul Russell. The Scottish watch collector has always loved Tudor: “Collecting wasn’t something I ever did as a kid, but as I got older and more aware of design, watches were always the thing to catch my eye. I remember my Dad’s red digital watch from the mid-1970s and the hours of fun under the duvet pressing the button until it broke (sorry, dad). My collecting started in my 20s with my grandfather’s small Tudor, which was a present from Canada and given to me when he passed away. The Tudor bug hit hard and I couldn’t get enough of the numerous detailed articles posted on the Vintage Rolex Forum and the bargains to be had on eBay. The feeling I get from holding a vintage watch has never diminished and I absolutely love the fact that someone took the time to go out and buy this small piece of metal, and just used it to tell the time and not spend hours looking at it as I do. I genuinely love watches in general, but vintage is where my heart will always be, and I’m honored to be a Tudor Collector!”

LONGINES LOVE

It was similar for Revolution’s go-to guy for all things vintage Longines, George Pakkos. When the watch collecting masses were obsessing with remortgaging to snap up “Newman dial” Daytonas, Pakkos was immersed in the 13ZN-driven chronographs of Saint-Imier’s finest. He says, “Initially, I was drawn to vintage Longines as I saw a disparity in the price for many very interesting watches. During the ’30s and ’40s, Longines were one of the top manufacturers for watches, probably only second to Patek Philippe in this period. They were first in class in terms of quality and innovation, whilst having a vast catalog of references, many of which I found to be aesthetically beautiful whilst utilitarian (in essence, real tool watches made for a purpose). This made collecting vintage Longines an extremely desirable proposition to me.”

A brace of lovely Longines chronographs

With such a great opportunity to researching and collecting special watches, I asked Pakkos if the vintage Longines collecting community is overcrowded. He replied, “Actually, like vintage watch collecting in general, I’d say vintage Longines collecting was a niche within a niche. However, during the past few years, the Longines collector community has grown exponentially — there is a nice community of enthusiasts from all over the globe. There are many desirable and interesting vintage Longines to collect regardless of budget.” So, what would Pakkos say are the most desirable of all vintage Longines? “The most exciting watches for me are the chronographs, especially those with the caliber 13ZN, and specifically all those with waterproof cases, especially the mushroom pusher, tre tacche and sommatore. Also very exciting are the Lindbergh and Weems (probably some of the most important watches ever made, considering the impact they had on aviation and modern GPS navigation). There are also many exciting watches that have military provenance, like the “Big Indians” and “Serbians”… in short there are probably too many exciting watches for me to list!”

CLASS IN CARTIER

A watch brand that has certainly become mainstream now is Cartier. The feverish way in which high-end collectors now chase the Crash is remarkable and the brand recently relaunched one of its most humble lines, Must de Cartier. Beyond Tanks and Crashes, however, exists a world of weird and wonderful Cartiers with a very loyal following of true aesthetic connoisseurs. When it comes to setting trends, Bernhard Bulang is regarded as one of the best. His early photo-centric blog 100PERCENT-Rolex and subsequent business Bulang and Sons has set the tone for lifestyle-led e-commerce of watches and accessories. 1940s steel stepped-case chronographs, oversized Omega “calatravas” and Tudor MilSubs were all key features of the Bulang and Sons offering before the mainstream adopted them. The same is also true of Cartier. First and foremost, Bulang is a collector and it was exactly the hype around certain high profile watch models that led him down the Cartier path.

Bulang style for watch lovers — watches and accessories such as this platinum Cartier Tonneau on black leather cuff strap (Image: Bulang and Sons)

He enthuses, “I really love the more funky shapes from Cartier and one of my favorite watches is the Gondole Horizontale Jumbo — a rare beast, a great size and the case shape is so exciting and comfy at the same time. I also love the Cristallor and the Baignoire Allongée in large. These watches have such exciting designs where they become a mixture of a watch and men’s jewelry. I would also say that an ’80s-style Santos is just a great fun buy at a moderate price level, and one high on my list is the Santos-Dumont Ultra Thin. It has such an amazing design — small size, but big impact. Well, it takes big balls to wear small watches!”

Bernhard Bulang’s Cartier Gondole Horizontale in yellow gold (Image: Bulang and Sons)

A 1957 Cartier London Baignoire Allongée

A similar watch from 1969

Bulang has eclectic taste and has always looked beyond the herd for interesting and undiscovered gems. Of his collecting philosophy, he says, “I am driven by the emotion and aesthetics of vintage watches. For me, it’s all about the design, dials, story and emotion of watches. After years of hunting my grail Rolex watches, I am now more focused on finding a watch that pushes me forward towards new styles and aesthetics. I am always on the hunt for ‘pleasant friction’: wearing great designed watches outside their cliché and combining them with straps that change the vibe; combining them with fashion that also makes them more interesting; not confirming the clichés but opening new ‘questions.’ It is an exciting road with discovery of many new styles to me and love for watches I would not have been picking up years ago — beauties by Vacheron, Audemars Piguet, Cartier and Gérald Genta. Finding classic designs that are almost 100 years old by Cartier and using them in a contemporary lifestyle, I am in love with how they are still relevant today and add so much mojo on your wrist. A Patek 3940 that years ago I would have felt as boring, bourgeois… I now feel it is one of the most exciting watches, combined with some sporty or elegant straps. The dial design is magically balanced for a watch with so much info. Amazing and timeless.”

A rare Patek Philippe ref. 3940 in platinum

Another increasingly sought-after timepiece, a Patek Philippe ref. 3940 exudes sporty elegance when paired with a military-style green textile strap

A DREAMER FOR GRIMER

Bulang is also a fan of the space-age Omega watches conceived for the brand by British designer Andrew Grima. Grima is regarded as one of the most important jewelry designers from the 1960s and ’70s, and boasted a Mayfair boutique on Jermyn Street. His impressive client list included both Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret who were drawn to his beautiful bespoke creations.

Three interesting and unusual Omega watches inspired by the designs of British designer Andrew Grima (Image: Bulang and Sons)

Says Bulang, “Omega’s director of production Robert Forster commissioned Grima to design a collection of watches. I don’t think he was keen initially. Grima was eventually persuaded but had a list of stipulations that he insisted be part of the deal. The first, and in today’s market the most unbelievable, was that the watches were not to feature either name of the two brands involved — Grima or Omega. Secondly, each piece was to be handmade in London and then taken to Switzerland to Omega’s headquarters in Bienne for the movements to be fitted. The movement fittings had to be done collaboratively between Grima’s artisan jewelers and the technicians at Omega. These watches were the About Time collection, and then later in the 1970s, Omega launched a range of watches inspired by Grima’s work. The Time in Style series of watches were more affordable and marketed through the De Ville, Constellation and Jeux d’Or ranges. Unlike the original Grima series, the Time in Style watches did, in fact, have Omega on the dials, more conventional dial layouts, including hour markers, and were entirely made in the Omega factory. I love these cool watches and we have offered a few of them over the years.”

WHEN AN ESPACE IS PC

Another new emergence amongst collectors is Pierre Cardin, and specifically those pieces made with Jaeger in the 1970s, known as the Espace collection. In 1971, Pierre Cardin launched the Espace watch line, an unconventional portfolio of unisex wristwatches with incredible packaging at good retail prices. Pierre Cardin, for the first time, offered stainless steel and plastic watches with avant-garde and futuristic design that housed good mechanical movements at reasonable prices. Those of you that follow John Goldberger’s second account, @montanariauro, will have seen some of the Jaeger-powered Cardin watches that he shared on his feed last year. Goldberger explains why he loves these watches so much: “The dials had a modern and stylized graphics layout. They are well manufactured by Jaeger, France, and represented an interesting period of the French lifestyle: innovative clothing, car designing and the first traveling by supersonic aviation with the Concorde. The result is a fresh combination of the current fashion trends of the ’70s and timeless aesthetics. His impact on the world of watch design was very important and today the collectors appreciate these unique timepieces with unusual and futuristic shapes.”

Espace dream — highlights from the John Goldberger collection of Pierre Cardin watches

London-based watch dealer Alex Stevens is a man who knows what he likes and sells timepieces that reflect his own love. Those that know him, therefore, were not surprised by his recent foray into the ’70s Pierre Cardin watches. I was at a lunch with him at the end of last year and couldn’t resist asking about them. He tells me, “I just love them because they are so different and unlike anything else that’s out there at the moment.” Fair enough, I say, but how on earth did he ever discover them? To that, Stevens replies, “I first saw one only around two years ago. I’d been interested in and involved in vintage watches for around 10 years. I was at one of my usual watch fairs and there was an older chap there who had a small collection of Pierre Cardin watches. There are literally thousands and thousands of watches at a vintage watch fair, but for some reason they just called out to me, and I had to take a closer look at them and they just captivated me. It was almost like it wasn’t a watch and more like a little piece of sculpture. They’re so unique and imaginative and there is almost no other watch like them, especially when you consider the resin and lucite cases and especially the colored ones, the triangular ones or the circular stepped examples. For me, it was just so refreshing to see something that I hadn’t seen before. I must admit, it’s not the most practical watch to wear, but it’s certainly a statement piece. I also believe that the vintage watch market has become quite saturated with the amount of content that’s out there — on YouTube, Instagram and blogs — but you do tend to see the same types of watches over and over again. In my mind, it’s really refreshing to see something that you haven’t seen before and is actually interesting from a collectibility point of view. They made 26 variations, so they’re really collectible from that point of view and certain ones are easier than others to find. They capture that time period so well in such a funky way; so space age! Interestingly, Pierre Cardin did fashion designs, in that era, related to the space age, and NASA space suits, including a campaign for them.”

Does Alex see Pierre Cardin watches catching on with mainstream collectors? He says, “I think after collecting for some time, many people naturally start to look elsewhere and people’s tastes change. The times that I have posted Pierre Cardin watches on my Instagram, the amount of interest that there was absolutely blew me away and the amount of love that they got from people, not only from those who knew about them and were aware of them and were maybe hoping to buy one, but also from people who’ve never seen them before.”

BUY WHAT YOU LOVE

One area of collecting that has recently taken center stage is neo-vintage. Loosely, the term defines the era of watches from the late 1980s to early 2000s when the classical styling of many watch lines was supplemented by modern watchmaking technology. Think sapphire crystals, ungraded movements and Super-LumiNova, and you’ll get a feeling for watches that can be worn daily yet have all the aesthetic grace of their forefathers. UK-based watch dealer Ben Dunn of Watch Brothers London (WBLDN) has settled on this genre as his focus.

He says, “I only buy what I like and this links back to why I started dealing in the first place — I want to wear and experience all the watches that catch my eye. This approach has gradually positioned WBLDN with an interesting niche, somewhat based around neo-vintage complications but also offbeat sports models such as the Rolex King Midas or the first-generation Vacheron Constantin Overseas. One thing to call out here is that the market, currently, for these types of pieces is significantly smaller than, say, your typical modern market. However, it’s growing rapidly as more scholarship comes to light. Connecting and providing value to collectors in this era of watches is where I spend a significant amount of time and I invest very happily in this. The friendships built and connections made are the true joy to buying and selling; it’s a community that I’m proud and humbled to be a part of.”

Rolex Cellini King Midas reference 4017 (Image: Heritage Auctions)

There really is a world of endless opportunities out there for collectors to enjoy. Education is a vital element alongside the quest to unearth new and interesting, or even overlooked, watches. The guys at A Collected Man get this: “This current climate also presents an opportunity to bring back education, discovery and purer enjoyment to what should be a passion-led field. There’s an opportunity to buy watches because they’re interesting and enjoyable, rather than because they’re expected to increase in value. Some areas which still offer fantastic value and quality are neo-vintage Vacheron Constantin, early Breguet wristwatches and more under-the-radar Patek Philippe watches, such as the Ellipse or variants of the Calatrava. Indeed, we’re still seeing some very strong activity in areas such as independent watchmaking, complicated Patek Philippe, neo-vintage Cartier and early A. Lange & Söhne, just to name a few. True rarity, rather than artificially created rarity, and quality seem to remain strongly desirable. Some collectors appear to be refocusing their interest on areas which they see as safer stores of value, in more uncertain times.”

If you look beyond the obvious and actually buy what you like, then it doesn’t really matter if a watch goes up or, heaven forbid, down in value because investment isn’t the paramount consideration of an acquisition. That’s the key to this; we should all enjoy collecting watches that make us smile!

Reference

By Felix Scholz

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May 3, 2023

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The post The Art of Watch Collecting: Beyond the Usual Suspects appeared first on Revolution Watch.

In Conversation with Jasem Al Zeraei aka Patekaholic, A Watch Collector with Market-moving Influence

Revolution — Sun, 19 Feb 2023 23:05:34 +0000

When Jasem Al Zeraei started Patekaholic, he simply wanted to share his deep passion for a watch brand that has an almost mythical status amongst collectors, Patek Philippe. He soon became the most high profile advocate for Patek on Instagram, acquiring a massive following in the process. You could say he was one of the OG watch influencers and his content had the power to shift secondary market values. In the end, it is the friendships he has acquired along the way that he values the most. In a wide-ranging conversation, Jasem shares his thoughts with Wei on the power of social media to influence taste, why he has started to buy Rolex and the state of watch collecting today. It’s time to make watch collecting great again!

The post In Conversation with Jasem Al Zeraei aka Patekaholic, A Watch Collector with Market-moving Influence appeared first on Revolution Watch.

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In Conversation with Jasem Al Zeraei aka Patekaholic, A Watch Collector with Market-moving Influence